Google Introduces Continuous Scrolling for Search on Mobile

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Sarah Blocksidge

On Thursday October 14, Google announced via Twitter that they launched continuous scrolling for search results on mobile:

3 Key Points to Note

  • This is currently only rolled out in the U.S.
  • The update is ONLY on mobile, you will not see this on desktop
  • Continuous does not mean infinite, after what would be around 4 pages of results, users will need to press a “see more” button to load more results

Google’s Explanation

In a blog post that followed, Google went more into depth on some thoughts that led them to launching this feature:

“While you can often find what you’re looking for in the first few results, sometimes you want to keep looking. In fact, most people who want additional information tend to browse up to four pages of search results. With this update, people can now seamlessly do this, browsing through many different results, before needing to click the “See more” button.

For example, for broader, more open-ended questions like “What can I do with pumpkins?” you may want to consider more results and inspiration before deciding how to move forward. Scrolling through a wider range of results may show you tons of options you hadn’t considered, like no-carve pumpkin decor ideas for Halloween, pumpkin seed recipes that make your pumpkin worth carving and more ideas for how to make the most out of your gourd.”

What This Means for Your Keywords

While we probably won’t know for a while just how this update will impact your keyword positions, it is safe to assume that pages that rank in positions ~10-40 will most likely see more clicks, and hopefully, conversions.

SEOs Have Jokes, Too

As per any announcement Google makes on social media, there is always mixed reactions. This time around, most marketers seemed to respond positively to this adapt, as many took this opportunity to have some fun:

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